The Duchess of Cambridge, née Kate Middleton, will not attend the opening ceremony of Prince Harry's Invictus Games on Wednesday evening, Kensington Palace has confirmed. Kate, who is expecting her second baby with Prince William, is once again suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, the acute morning sickness she was struck down with while pregnant with Prince George. The 32-year-old royal will also not be attending the athletics event she was scheduled to watch on Thursday, while her two-day trip to Malta at the end of September "will be kept under review and a decision taken closer to the time".
Duchess Kate's upcoming tour to Malta is also 'under review'
Kate was due to make her first official solo overseas tour to the Mediterranean island as a representative of The Queen on the 50th anniversary of Malta's independence. Earlier on Monday when Kate's pregnancy was announced, she was forced to pull out of an engagement at Oxford University last-minute, as she was being treated at home by the Queen's surgeon-gynaecologist with morning sickness. William and other members of the British royal family have been eager to share their excitement about a second royal baby, with the doting dad saying he and Kate were "thrilled" with the news. Proud uncle Harry, who is approaching his 30th birthday, joked that he couldn't wait to see his older brother "suffer more" with the arrival of a new baby. When asked if the new family member could be a girl, Harry quipped he would "love to see [William] try and cope with that".
Prince Harry's Invictus Games will launch tonight with an opening ceremony
The cheeky royal was speaking at an Invictus Games team reception, ahead of the launch of the international sporting event on Wednesday. Harry will attend the opening ceremony alongside William, his father Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall.
The Paralympic-style games are being held for injured personnel, or "wounded warriors" as Harry calls them, with the aim of bringing them back into the community and finding recovery through sport. The four-day event is being held across venues in London and will see teams from 13 nations play against each other in nine sports.